A New Dawn
by infamyss
Summary: When Jess goes to his Aunt's farm, he meets someone who he thought was gone forever.
1. Away from home

**Chapter one – ****Away from home**

**--**

'You still up, kiddo?'

Jess stared out the window, the starry sky flashing past as the truck drove by. He laid his head on his arms that were perched on the windowsill. The wind was musty and blew dust into his face, stinging his eyes. Closing them, he asked his father, 'Why'd Aunt Ester want us to go to her place?'

'I guess she wanted some company,' Mr. Aarons said, eyes still fixed on the road, 'all she has with her are a couple of girls that work on her farm who aren't really that fond of her,'

Jess smiled. He knew very well that all the girls working at the farm didn't like Aunt Ester at all. She was bossy and wasn't really friendly. Abele, one of the girls who were just as old as him, said that she made them sleep in haystacks in the barn. No wonder they didn't like her.

'With such a huge house, she could have given all the girls a room of their own,' Jess said, sitting up, 'making them sleep on haystacks isn't very nice,'

Mr. Aarons shrugged.

'But in her last letter,' he said, turning left onto a dust road, 'she says she's found a new pet; probably an orphan,' The truck jerked to the left.

Jess pulled up the window before more dust was blown in; 'Really?' he commented, 'must be strange for that girl to agree on working for her,' Everyone knew that agreeing to work for Aunt Ester was absolutely crazy.

'Yeah, the girl's called Marty or something like that,' They could hear the bags from the back of the pick-up sliding around, 'picked her up from the river, she said, the poor girl doesn't remember a thing of where she came from or of who she was,' Mr. Aarons added just as they approached a big white-washed house with vines climbing up the sides.

--

'Jack! It's good to see you!'

'You too, Ester,' Mr. Aarons said, accepting the hug from Aunt Ester. Jess dropped the last of the bags in the hallway and looked around. Nothing much had changed since they last went there, just him and his father. The wallpaper was still peeling off at some parts and the old golden frames were still up, dust collecting on them.

Leaving his dad with Aunt Ester, Jess walked out of the door and headed towards the barn.

Pushing the door a bit, he slips in and shuts it again. 'Abele,' he whispered, 'you there?'

Out of a haystack, a head came up, covered with little bits of grass and hay, 'Jess! You're back!' The girl stood up quickly, and ran to hug Jess who was standing nearby.

'Hey, Abele,' Jess said just as they let go, 'how's it been up here?' Abele dusted herself, flicking off the hay from her hair, revealing auburn hair beneath them. 'Just great,' she said, 'I got promoted so I can get the fresh hay every night,' she said, arms folded across her chest with a proud smile on her face.

'That's great!' Jess exclaimed. Adele really deserved the best out of all. Not that the other girls weren't good, it's just that Adele did her best at everything and work twice as hard as everyone else.

'How's Daisy?' Jess asked, knowing Abele liked Daisy for a topic.

You see, Daisy was Abele's very own pony. A little gift from Aunt Ester since Abele had once saved her from food poisoning when she spotted some mold on a piece of bread Aunt Ester was going to eat. Imagine that!

'Oh she's just perfect!' Abele screeched, 'I've taught her how to jump over those fences by the chicken houses, she can do all of them in a minute!' she continued, making jumping and swooshing motions with her hands.

Jess smiled, pushing back some hair from his face. Abele had grown up since the last time they saw each other when they were eight. Now they were fifteen. Her once short auburn hair now reached up to her back. And she now wore a white blouse under a jumper dress, rather than the old baggy pants and white shirt with mud stains that she used to wear.

'Abele?'

The two turned around to find a girl peeking in through the doorway. Her hair looked like gold that reached to her waist and was adorned with flowers behind one ear. She wore a sleeveless, light blue summer dress that came down to her knees.

Rolling her eyes, Abele walked towards the girl and pushed her out the door, 'Leave me alone!' she screamed before slamming it. Mumbling angrily to herself, she walked back to Jess, 'That girl is so irritating! What makes her think that I want to play with her in the first place?' she blurted out, sitting on a haystack.

'Who was that?'

'Oh, that was Martine, the mistress' new pet,' Abele said, waving her hands in the air, 'she's a spoiled little brat, that one, never done any work before, the mistress said her skin was too delicate,' she said, banging her fist on a wooden post.

'Martine?' Jess asked, 'but in the letter, the name Aunt Ester wrote was Marty,' he said, sitting next to Abele.

'That's her nickname, that little princess,' Abele explained sarcastically, 'the mistress named her that since she was sipping a martini when we found the girl lying on the river bed, unconscious,' she glanced at Jess, 'why you so interested?'

'Nothing,' Jess said, 'she just reminded me of someone, you know,' he explained. Abele nodded. _Leslie. _Abele learned about her from some of Jess' letters five years back. The last letter she received about Leslie was on the day the said girl had died.

'Well,' Abele whispered, 'she does look a lot like Leslie, just as you described her,' she looked around before continuing, 'but she doesn't act like Leslie,'

'Why you whispering?'

'Because that brat always finds a way in somehow,' Abele said quickly before getting up, 'Why don't we go see where the others are?'

'Sure,'

Jess jumped up and followed Adele down the wide meadow, still thinking about Leslie. Could Martine be Leslie? Nah. They probably just look the same.

--

**Isa: Comments please! Flames accepted!**


	2. Martine

**Chapter two – Martine**

**--**

Abele screamed.

She let the bag of seeds drop to the ground. All the other girls stood just like that, mouths hanging partially open, staring out at the field. Martine came up beside Jess and smiled.

'What happened?!' Abele shrieked.

'We just got here and it was all like this,' Mira, two years younger, said, looking just about ready to cry.

The field that was once empty, ready to be planted on was now filled with flowers. Flowers of every size, shape, and color filled all of the plots the girls had spent months preparing for all the farms goods. Martine's smile grew bigger.

'Do you like it?' she piped up, jumping in front of Abele, 'I thought you would, after all, you really liked those spring flowers down by the creek,' she was glowing with joy. But from the look on everyone else's faces, Jess could tell that they were all fuming mad.

'You did this?' Abele said her voice loud. Martine nodded, a smile still plastered on her face.

The next thing he knew, Jess saw all the girls run towards Martine, picking her up by the arms and legs. She had a clueless look on her face and didn't even struggle. The group headed towards the river.

Jess tried to follow, but his Aunt came up behind him, 'Jess, would you be a dear and please grab the kettle of hot water from the stove,' she requested in a stiff voice, 'it's starting to boil, and I would really want my tea now,'

'But,'

'No buts, young man,' she said, glaring at him icily, 'now get the kettle,' She walked off briskly to the patio where Jess' father also sat and waited, a cup in front of him.

Hadn't they seen what the girls were doing to Martine? Running into the kitchen, Jess quickly retrieved the kettle, switched off the stove, brought it to the table, and ran back to the river. He was worried about what the girls would have done to Martine, so he ran even faster than usual.

Making his way to the river bank, Jess saw Abele and the others. They were stomping angrily up to the field, so he avoided them as he ran down to the river. Landing in the middle of the river with a jump, he saw her. Martine sat on an isolated boulder, further down, hugging her knees. He could see her shaking as if scared that the water would swallow her up.

'Martine!'

Jess waded over, the water reaching up to his waist. Martine looked up, tears still pouring down, staining her cheeks. She was splotched with mud, her dress stained badly. Her hair was wet and messy, also stained with mud.

Climbing quickly onto the boulder, Jess kneeled next to her, 'Let's go,' he said gently, 'you'll catch a cold if you stay out here,' he pulled her arm a bit. She shook her head before bringing her hands to her face, she cried harder, shaking.

'Martine,'

Jess looked at her, worried. What was wrong?

'I-I can't,' she blurted out in between sobs, 'n-never ever will I set foot off this rock,' she kept crying. Jess stared at her for a while before asking, 'Why?'

Martine sniffed, brought her hands off her tear-stained face, 'I hate this place. I'm afraid,' she said, staring at the water, horrified, 'I don't know why, but I'm terrified of it. I hate this river. I just stay on the bank as the girls go down here to play, but I stay away far enough,' she explained, before wiping her eyes.

'They know I'm afraid,' Martine said, looking Jess in the eye, ' Whenever they were bored or just wanted to make fun of me, they'd lure me down here and pull me into the river, but never like today,' she looked at the water again, 'they never trapped me here,'

'Did I do something wrong?'

She looked at Jess in the eye, waiting intently for an answer. Jess shook his head and sat next to her, 'Not really, it wasn't intentional,' he said, watching the girls working at the field from the rock, 'I always try to make them happy,' Martine said, looking at the girls, watching them work.

'But they always still seem to hate me,' she stared on ahead, 'I don't know what I'm doing wrong,'

'Don't worry,' Jess told her, 'they've always been like that. When I first came here, they all snubbed me, but we've become friends. They're just not used to you, '

'I guess,' Martine mutter, barely above a whisper, resting her head on her knees.

'Hey,' Jess said suddenly after a few silent moments, 'don't be like that. Show the girls that you're braver than they think, I'm sure it'll all turn out great!'

Martine stared at him for a few moments before breaking out into a smile. Her smile seem to make everything glow, and fill Jess with a happiness that had gone along with Leslie. Now, at that moment, he silently wondered if it really was her after all those years.

He shook his head. It's been five years. And Aunt Ester only had Martine since two months ago. It couldn't possibly be her. Yes, that's it.

'But there still is a teensy little problem,' Martine said, more cheerfully, 'how do we get off this rock?' she was smiling in a bashful sort of way, making Jess laugh.

'Don't worry,' he said, suppressing his laughing for a while, 'I'll help you out,'

'Okay,'

Martine really looked like Leslie, though. Jess couldn't completely delete that from his thoughts as he took her hand and led her to the edge of the rock. They act exactly the same too, not much difference. He pondered these thoughts as he whispered for her to close her eyes before they ventured lower and waded into the river's clear waters.

--

**Isa: Sorry it took so long, everyone! I've been really busy these past few days, but here it is! Rate and comment, please!**


	3. A secret to keep

**Chapter three – ****A secret to keep**

**--**

'My goodness!'

Jess could see Aunt Ester's horrified expression from a few meters away. Martine had run faster than him and gotten there first, and now, Aunt Ester was pulling her into the house, talking really fast so that Jess could barely make out what she was saying.

'What happened, Jess?' Mr. Aarons looked at Jess in the eye, 'you fell down the hill or something?'

'No dad,' Jess replied, sitting next to him, 'just a little mishap at the river, seems that Martine's afraid of it. Some of the girls trapped her on a boulder there; she was too scared to go down. I just helped her, but I dunno why she was all splattered with mud.'

'I see,' Mr. Aarons took another sip of his bitter coffee before getting up, 'go and change, son, your Aunt doesn't like anything or anyone messy around her house,' ruffling Jess' hair, he made his way down the porch and on to where the girls were working.

'Jess!'

He flinched. Jumping up from his seat, he ran into the house. Aunt Ester waited for him at the top of the stairs with a scornful glare that made Jess' goose bumps come out. She was tapping her feet angrily with her arms folded across her chest. Martine stood behind her looking at him apologetically.

_I'm in for it,_ Jess thought as he approached the top of the stairs.

--

'I'm sorry,'

Martine was dangling her legs off the boulder, splashing water around. She wore a two-piece swimsuit that Aunt Ester had bought for her two days ago, quickly giving the department store a call. Martine was uncomfortable with it though, always pulling on the top piece.

'That's the hundredth time you've said that, Martine,' Jess said sarcastically waving his hands in the air before going underwater. Splashing back up, Martine stuck his tongue out at him.

'Are you going to swim or not?' Jess asked mockingly, 'it's a waste of a swimsuit if you don't,' he said, making her climb up higher on the boulder.

'Fine then,' she declared, standing tall, 'but I will jump down only with my eyes closed,'

'Go ahead,' Jess said.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Martine jumped off the boulder and into the river's clear waters, splashing Jess with more water. After ten seconds, Jess reached a hand under and pulled her up, Martine breathing heavily.

'I said,' Jess told her, 'you have to go up, you're not a fish, Martine,' he wagged at finger at her. She folded her arms, 'Well I'm sorry Mister Expert, but I find it hard to float,' she smiled, 'and besides, it's really nice looking at the little fishes down there,'

Jess shrugged, wondering why she even wanted to swim. Two days ago, Aunt Ester called him up because Martine had told her that the river was really beautiful and that she wanted to try swimming in it (of course, she left out the fact that she was afraid). But, of course, she needed someone to watch her.

But she was fast at learning, quickly getting over her fear and starting to jump into the river. They swam for hours, only stopping momentarily for some lunch and stopped swimming just in time for dinner. Martine could already move underwater, but she often preferred to stay still and watch the little minnows pass by.

'I told you tying your hair would make it stop bugging you,' Jess said, pulling gently on her hair that was plaited into a single braid.

'I suppose,' Martine said before quickly going back underwater.

Following under, Jess splashed in next to her, watching as the fishes swam past. Martine pointed at the ones that came really near and tried to touch them. But the fish were too fast for her, so they always got away. Jess only pulled her up when she opened her mouth completely, letting all her air out.

When they got out, they saw Abele standing over by the bank. Her auburn hair was messed and had some straw stuck to it. She looked exhausted and quickly looked away from the two, trudging back up to the fields.

'What do you suppose Aunt Ester did to them?' Jess asked Martine, 'I dunno, really,' Martine said shrugging before going back under again.

'Honestly,' Jess said to no one in particular, 'she's always going down in a split second while I'm talking to her,'

Splashing back under once more, Jess looked around to find Martine moving away from him, as if following something. She was kicking really fast, making her move quickly forward. Jess followed, knowing he had to pull her up in a while so she could breathe. But strangely, she was going too fast, and Jess could barely get within a meter near her.

After that, everything happened quickly, too fast for Jess to remember everything. Martine sped up ahead with Jess following after. Soon, they got stuck in one of the river's strong currents that pulled them. Sputtering, Jess stuc k his head out of the water and took and gulp of air before diving back under.

He saw Martine trying to make her way near him and grabbed her hand. Pulling her up to the water's surface, the two were only able to take a few breaths before the current pulled them back down.

And then; all was black.

--

'Jess! Jess!'

Opening his eyes, Jess found himself on the river bank next to Martine, her eyes watery. She had been crying. Sitting up, Jess looked around and saw that they were far, since the barn was just a tiny, red, blurry dot from where they were.

Pain shot through his head, 'What happened?' he asked Martine, putting a hand to his throbbing head. She pointed at a fallen log. 'You hit your head there, I guess,' she said.

'I grabbed ont it before we were pulled any further,' she said, 'we're lucky that both of us weren't struck at the same time,'

'Yeah,'

Jess got up, telling from the sky that it was almost nightime. He pulled Martine up and walked briskly along the river banks. They had about an hour, he guessed, before Aunt Ester and his dad started to worry about where they were.

'Hey Martine,'

'Yeah?'

'How fast can you run?'

She stared at him for a while, 'Really fast I guess, I once outran Daisy when we were playing in the fields,'

'Good, when I count to three, we run,'

'Okay,'

Jess stopped, Martine next to him. He counted to three and…they ran. Ignoring the twigs and rocks under their bare feet, the two kept on. Martine felt her legs starting to hurt, but she still kept at it. Faster and faster, they kept running until they got to the boulder which was near the farm.

The two collapsed, landing in the shallow part of the river where the current was calm. They sat there, trying to catch their breaths. Jess dunked his face underwater a couple of times before getting up and starting to walk up the path to the house.

Martine followed behind him.

'Don't tell Aunt Ester about what happened,'

Martine looked at Jess, a bit surprised, 'Why?'

'Just don't. Unless you want it that she'll never ever let you swim again,'

'Okay, I understand,'

The two walked up in silence, avoiding each other's eyes. Jess didn't know why, but he was scared. They almost drowned, both of them. Just the way Leslie left. _No. _He shook his head, stopping his thoughts.

--

**Isa: Thanks to everyone for reading! And thank you for telling me there was a mistake in the previous chapter, ****HarleyQuinn****! It's fixed now.**** Rate and review, please!**


	4. A prediction

**Chapter four – A prediction**

**--**

'Wait up,'

Jess ran after Martine who quickly disappeared into a bookstore. Bursting in and ignoring the glares from the store clerks, he ran down the main aisle. Turning into the fiction literature section, he found Martine flipping through the pages of a very thick book.

'You shouldn't have run,' Jess said, panting, 'Aunt Ester would kill me if you got lost,' Martine seemed to ignore him. She placed back the book she had flipped through, which was entitled _Narnia: The Compilation._ Pulling out another book, she kept skimming through the pages with a serious expression on her face. Jess shrugged and placed their shopping bags on the floor before collapsing into a nearby armchair.

Martine, too, sat on the floor, leaning on the shelf while occasionally pushing a book back in place and pulling out another one. Jess watched her as she read the summary on the back of the book before skimming the pages. He watched her expression change while reading the summary, either looking interested or looking at the book with such disdain that she practically stuffed it back into its place.

After pulling out practically every book from that row of the shelf, Martine held onto one. It was a light pink color with silver streaks here and there. On the cover Jess could see illustrations of fairies dancing in the forest. Martine turned it over, reading the summary over and over again.

'Hey Jess,' Martine said, turning to him after a few silent minutes, 'can I buy this?' She held up the book. Jess took it from her and flipped through the smooth pages, the pictures inside filled with fairies and other magical creatures. He nodded. Martine squealed in glee before running off to the counter with the book.

Jess stood up a followed Martine out the door. She turned to him, smiling broadly, before giving him a hug. It was only for two seconds, but Jess couldn't help blushing. After all, Leslie was the only girl who had ever hugged him before.

'Thank you,' she said happily, letting go of him.

--

'Is something wrong?'

'Wha-no, nothing's wrong,' Jess blurted out, surprised, as they walked across the bridge out of town. Martine pouted at him, a look of suspicion in her eyes. Jess tried to look innocent.

'Then why's your face as red as a tomato?' Martine said, poking his cheek with her pinky.

'T-that's just the sunset,' Jess said, almost shouting. Martine giggled, letting Jess know that she knew very well what the real reason was.

The two just finished doing shopping at market, getting fruits and vegetables that Aunt Ester had listed down. Normally, Abele should have been the one to do this, but Martine practically begged Aunt Ester to let her go to town even if it was just that once. So she was allowed on the conditions that Jess would accompany her and that they would do the shopping.

Now, lugging their bags with them, a few carrots poking out from one, the two made their way across the long bridge that separated the farmlands from the town. Martine was kicking a pebble with her foot, making it go a few inches away from her every time.

'Jess,' she said so suddenly that Jess jerked, startled, 'how'd you know where to find me in the bookstore? You weren't directly behind me when I entered,' Martine turned to him, leaving the little pebble behind.

'Well,' Jess started, 'it was a hunch, I guess, because I had a feeling that you liked fairy tales and such. You don't look like the type of person who'd be interested in all those serious books there,'

At the roadside before the walkway to Aunt Ester's house, there was a little booth set up. Martine stopped in front and read the sign. 'Prediction of the future - $1' it read, painted in wobbly blue paint. Before Jess could stop her, Martine handed the lady in the booth a dollar bill.

The lady waved her hands over some cards before picking three up, one at a time. After laying them out in a neat row in front of her, she gestured for Martine to get one. Taking a quick glance at Jess, she picked up the card in the middle, which had the picture of a scroll.

The lady looked at the card thoughtfully before looking Martine straight in the eye, 'Your secrets will be revealed,' she said in a wobbly voice, 'and these secrets will cause dangers ahead. Be careful,'

'What does that mean?'

'I-I dunno,' Martine said too quickly, 'let's go now,' She pulled Jess' hand as they turned the corner. They could hear the lady at the store shouting out something, but Martine just sped up every time she heard it. Jess wondered what was wrong. She wasn't smiling anymore and her eyes were wide as if with fear.

Breaking into a run, she dragged him on the trail, only stopping when they reached the house.

'Mar-'

She cut him off, shaking her head. Jess could see tears in her eyes just before she ran up the porch steps and into the house.

--

**Isa: Sorry if that took forever everyone! Anyways, please rate and review!**


	5. A puzzle piece

**Chapter five – ****A puzzle piece**

--

'Martine,'

Jess poked his head into the barn, hoping to find Martine there. Seeing that it was empty and that all was quiet, he was going to shut the door, when he heard a little squeal from inside. Hurrying inside, he saw Abele, reading a book behind a haystack.

'Oh,' she said, quickly glancing at him before looking back at the book, 'it's you. Shouldn't you be with Marty now?'

'Well,' Jess said, sitting next to her, like they used to do, 'I can't find her,'

'She's probably having her lessons with your Aunt, I guess,' Abele said, flicking through the pages of the book, trying to find something interesting, 'didn't want to send Marty to a school. Said that schools rot your brains,'

'Well, that's Aunt Ester,'

Jess shrugged. He hadn't spoken to Abele for the past three weeks, so it felt a bit awkward. They used to do that the last time Jess was over, ten years ago. Abele seemed to feel awkward too, since they were no longer five-year-olds. They've grown up.

'Don't you miss those times back then?' Jess asked, staring at the barn's ceiling. He could see a couple of cracks here and there.

'Of course I do,' Abele said quickly, shutting her book, 'it's just that…that was long ago, and now, thing have changed,'

'You mean Martine?'

'Yeah,'

'Why do you hate Martine so much anyway,' Jess asked the girl who was tapping her fingers on the books cover, 'she hasn't done anything that bad has she?'

'No,' Abele said, stuffing the book into the hay, 'I'd rather not tell you why,'

'C'mon,'

Jess pouted in a funny way, making Abele laugh.

'No,' she said in between giggles, 'I've been too much of a jerk that I might have thought of everything the wrong way,'

'Please?'

Jess tugged on her hair gently, still doing his silly pout. Abele clutched her sides, laughing. When she still wouldn't tell him, her poked her side, tickling her. She burst into laughter.

'All right, all right,' she half-screamed, wiping her eyes (don't tears come out when you laugh too much?), 'I'll tell you,'

'Finally,' Jess said sarcastically, 'so start,'

'Fine,'

--

Abele started to tell him of the day they found Martine, a pale little girl of just the same age as Abele, her hair dirty blond, her clothes stained and muddy. She was a skinny little thing, so frail that she could barely stand up, nor walk. She was being pulled by the strong current, her head going underwater every few seconds. The older girls swam to her and pulled her up, as Aunt Ester ordered, practically spitting out her drink when she saw the girl. When they pulled her up onto the bank, she coughed out the water she had swallowed.

Aunt Ester and the others went in close around her, huddling, as if she were some amazing attraction instead of a little girl. She didn't seem to notice them much. All she did was clutch her head, which had a gash on the forehead. Her eyes were wide and frightened. She started mumbling out something that they couldn't understand.

She started to cry, tears flowing down her face. She her voice was shaky. She seemed more afriad.

When Abele asked her what she wanted, she made her voice louder. She said-

'Terabithia?'

Abele nodded. Jess was taken aback by this. How could Martine know about Terabithia?

The girl kept mumbling about Terabithia and something about a king. She started crying; now pulling her hair so hard they were afraid she would rip it out. Aunt Ester came closer and told the girl to calm down. In a few moments she did, finally taking notice of all the people around her.

She was taken to the house and washed up.

When asked about her name, the girl merely shrugged and shook her head, saying she didn't know the answer. The only question she answered was her age, ten years old. Aunt Ester then named the girl Martine and said that she was to be her company in the house. Martine just nodded quietly.

'And that's how we found her,' Abele said, concluding her story.

'You didn't exactly tell me why you hate her so much,' Jess pointed out, poking her cheek.

'Well, we found her a few days after I got your letter,' she explained, 'the one with the picture of you and Leslie the day before she died. Well, Martine was wearing this when we pulled her out of the water,'

Slipping a hand under the haystack, Abele pulled out a red scrap of cloth and handed it to Jess. Unfolding it, Jess found out it was jacket, ripped and mud stained. Then Jess noticed something. Written by the bottom, he could make out the text written on with a marker, which had faded a bit. _Leslie Burke – Queen of Terabithia._

'Jess,' Abele said, breaking the silence, 'I think she might be Leslie,'

'No,'

--

**Isa: Review please! And thanks to all you readers for being patient with me and my slow writing! Thanks a lot for reading! **


	6. Back to the past

**Chapter six – Back to the past**

**--**

Jess sat on his bed, clutching the red jacket, running his finger over the marked words by the hem. He stared out at the window, eyes blank and no expression in them. In his mind, thoughts were flying around everywhere, ideas, revelations, possibilities.

'Jess,'

He jerked, exiting his reverie. Stuffing the jacket under his pillow before getting up and walking to the door, he shook his head to stop the flow of thoughts for a moment. Pulling open the door, he finds Abele standing outside in the hallway, a finger to her lips. She entered the room and waited for Jess to close the door before pulling out some books from under her apron.

'These are some of the books where your Aunt recorded everything to do with Martine during the first few weeks she was here,' she handed him half of the pile before plunking down the rest on the floor and sitting down.

'Are we going to look through them?' Abele asked.

Jess nodded, sitting down next to Abele who had already started flipping through one of the battered diaries. He blew the dust off a really battered one and read through it. Well, he didn't really read. He just flicked through the pages slowly, his mind going back to the events of what had happened after his conversation with Abele that afternoon…

_--_

_The door of the study opened with a creak. Martine rushed outside, a book on top of her head. Spotting Jess, she beamed._

_'Jess! Are we gonna swim today?'_

_'Um…,'__he hesitated, 'no thanks, I'll go talk to Aunt Ester first, see ya,' He waved his hand, leaving Martine in the hall with a confused expression on her face._

_'Aunt Ester,'_

_'Ah, Jess,' the lady muttered sitting behind her desk, hands placed neatly on her lap, 'sit down, sit down. And now, what may I do for you?'_

_'Well,' Jess said, pulling up a chair and sinking into it, 'I wanted to ask you something,'_

_'Well then, ask me, boy,' Aunt Ester exclaimed, 'I'm sure I have an answer or at least opinion on anything,'_

_'It's Martine,'_

_'You're interested in her,'_

_'Well, yeah, but more about the time when you found her,'_

_The lady straightened herglasses before looking at Jess once more, 'Of course,'_

_'__I was down by the river that day, a martini in hand, watching the girls as they played in the river. They were very unladylike, mind you, spalshing around in those swimsuits which looked terribly no more than knickers. Anyways, they saw Martine being pulled by the current in the deep part of the river, her head going under once in a while. I had them pull her out.__'_

_'She was hysterical when she got out, pulling her hair and screaming. The girls tried to calm her down to no avail. But when I told Martine to, she listened to me. So I had her cleaned up and brought here into my study. I asked her everything about herself, but she only knew about her age__. So I had her keep me company in the house except during the days when there were visitors. She was allowed to play with the other girls on those days,__'_

_'Right,' Jess nodded, not learning anymore than what Abele had already told him. He had just gotten up and was about to exit the door when Aunt Ester said something._

_'She kept screaming things at night, by the way. Things like mom, dad, peetee, king…I had the doctor check up on her, but it was said nothing was wrong.'_

_--_

'More proof, I guess,'

Jess had just related the events of that afternoon to Abele when there was a knock on the door. Abele jumped up a pulled it open, letting Martine in.She wasn't the very least surprised to find Abele and Jess there and just sat down on the carpet, beaming.

'Watcha two doing?' she said in a sing-song voice, placing one of the diaries on her head and balancing it.

'Nothing really,' Abele said, 'Jess and I were just talking about Leslie, that's all,'

Abele was doing perfectly, keeping her temper in front of Martine. After all, she swore to Jess that she would so they could make her tell them the truth. The truth that she was Leslie.

'Cool,' Martine said, now with two diaries on her head, 'can I join? Not that, I know Leslie or anything, I just wanna listen,'

'Sure,' Jess nodded.

'As long as you don't tell anyone,' Abele said, holding her pinky up, 'you have to do a pinky swear to make sure,'

'Okay,'

The two girls did their pinky swear. Martine placed all the diaries back down on the floor and listened intently to the conversation between Jess and Abele.

'What was Leslie like, Jess?' Abele said, acting innocent as if she didn't already know 'was she nice?'

'Yeah, she was,' Jess replied, playing along as Martine listened, 'she was really imaginative, too. She created this whole new world, which we called Terabithia, in the woods.'

'Awesome,'

The two continued to talk about Terabithia, Leslie, the school bullies, everything that had to do with Leslie. But Martine didn't look the least bit guilty at all. She just kept on listening intently, eyes sparkling brightly with a broad smile on her face.

In the end, Abele and Martine left the room. Jess was uncontented. Martine didn't look guilty nor did she show any sign that she knew everything about Terabithia. She even asked _why_ Terabithia was called Terabithia. Could this all be an act?

Of course.

Nudging the diaries under the bed with his foot, Jess wondered why Leslie would lie. As he jumped into bed, he thought of what Leslie had told him one time…

_'Les, are you afraid to die?'_

_'Hmm,' the girl said, golden hair pulled up into a ponytail as they repaired the treehouse which was to be their castle, 'yeah, I guess,'_

_'How come?'_

_She nailed the white sheet over the gaping hole in the wall, which was to be their window, the hammer's bangs echoing through the forest._

_'Because I don't want to leave,'_

_'Leave what?'_

_'Lots of things,' she said, putting down the hammer and popping some trail mix in her mouth, 'home, Terabithia, you, the terabithians…,'_

_'I see,'_

_They were silent for a while, the only souns made my the scratching of Jess' pecil over the paper on the wall where he was illustrating the castle._

_'I'll accept it if I have to leave already,' Leslie said, suddenly, making Jess turn to face her, 'but I wanna finish some things before I go,'_

_She smiled, lighting up the place again, her bright green eyes sparkling._

_--_

**Isa: Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I'm really glad you all like the story!**


	7. Part of the Truth

**Chapter seven – Part of the truth**

**--**

_'Wake up, Jess,'_

Huh?

_'Wake up,'_

But…who-

_'Jess,'_

'Jess,'

Jess' eyes fluttered open, finding Martine looming over him with a smirk on her face. She moved back as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He ached terribly, and that voice he heard sounded just like Leslie's. Oh wait.

Jess looked over at Martine who was pushing back the curtains and opening the window of his room, letting the cool morning breeze enter. It must have been Martine's voice all along.

'You okay, Jess?'

'Yeah, fine,' he replied, pushing the hair off his face as Martine sat on the edge of his bed, pulling some dried leaves out of her hair, 'how'd you get those leaves in your hair?'

'Oh, I was out on the roof early this morning,' she explained, dumping the leaves in the trash can, 'I volunteered to clean the roof gutter instead of your father, very much to your Aunt's dismay,'

'She,' Jess said before yawning, 'must have been screaming things like, 'not like a proper lady' or something like that then,'

'Yep,' Martine said, proudly announcing it, 'it's fun to get out once in a while on the roof, I guess,'

Jess stuck his tongue out at her and she giggled before asking him, 'I something wrong Jess? You were muttering something when I got here,'

'No it's nothing,' he said waving a hand, 'now if you may leave so I can change,'

Playfully shoving her out the door, she pretended to act rejected and whined like a little girl. Once she was out, she stopped and told Jess she'd meet him down by the river after breakfast for a usual swim. He complied and closed the door.

--

Martine waded into the river, hands busy plaiting her hair. She went into the water until it was up to her chest before the plait was finished. Diving under, she opened her eyes to see the glittering little fishes again. She wanted so badly to follow them, but she knew she had to wait for Jess. Jumping back out, she heard a voice from behind her.

'Remember your promise, Martine?'

Martine stood there, knowing who it was. No, it wasn't Jess. It was…that person. She knew very well not to turn around and face whoever, since she was told that she was not supposed to.

'Yes,' Martine croaked out.

'Good, then you'd better not break it just because that boy is your friend now,'

'Y-yes,'

The wind blew around them. Martine felt colder than she already was.

'Good. Jess may be your friend, but the others aren't. You know what will happen if you tell him the truth.'

'Of course,' Martine said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She heard the person behind her leave. Turning, she saw the footprint left by the person. Martine went back underwater, but this time, not opening her eyes. She just suk to the bottom, thoughts spinning in her head. The same words from those months ago echoing unbearably.

_It's a secret that you have to keep…_

_But why?_

_If you don't…I'll destroy everything precious to you._

_But you can't destroy my family, they're people._

_Of course I can. _

_How?_

_I can kill them._

--

Jess hurriedly ate the slice of toast on his plate when his dad came in with the phone. 'It's the Burkes,' he said, handing the phone over to Jess before clearing the plates away. Jess wondered why they called.

'Hello?'

'Hey, Jess,' came the voice of Mr. Burke from the receiver, 'how's it going?'

'Just great, Mr. B-I mean Bill,' he said, remembering that Mr. Burke didn't want to be called Mr. Burke and wanted to be called by his first name, which was Bill, 'how 'bout you?'

'Same here,' Bill said, before his tone changed into a somewhat dismal one, 'but there's a confession we've wanted to make, and I think it's the right time,'

Jess eyes widened, 'W-what do you mean?'

'I mean that Leslie's body was never found. She never cremated nor buried.'

Jess almost dropped the phone. If Leslie's body wasn't found, why didn't they look for her? She could have been found years ago. Why didn't they search? Why didn't they tell him the truth?

'We know she's dead, not really sure, but she may be. P.T. came home about two hours after Leslie had left the house, and he was…covered in blood,'

'So we assumed Leslie was gone, after all, she never came back and-'

Jess slammed the phone down with mixed feelings. He felt angry and sad, sick and tired of lies…

First Martine…

Then the Burkes…

Who else?!

--

Martine sat on the boulder in the middle of the river, legs dangling into the clear water. She swung them, splashing herself, just as Jess arrived slipping down the muddy river bank and into the water. She was about to greet him until she saw the sour look on his face. She kept her mouth closed.

'We're going to follow the river,' he said, helping Martine down from the rock, 'I'm gonna try and get back to the place we ended up in last time,'

'Why-'

Jess cut her off, his expression changed into a pleading one, 'Martine, please, I have to go there. There's something I have to find out.'

She was silent for a while. She nodded.

--

**Isa: I will make my writing faster! I promise! Thanks for all the support!! –hugs everyone-**


	8. Dreams of Reality?

**Chapter eight – ****Dreams or Reality?**

**--**

Jess and Martine swam the length of the river, not a single current running through it. Martine couldn't see any of the colorful fish in the clear water as they dove under. It's as if all of the fishes had disappeared.

Jess was swimming so fast that Martine had a hard time catching up and was always a couple of inches behind him. The two only stopped when the water became too shallow to swim in, rocks poking out from the banks.

'Great,' Jess muttered, 'I guess we'll have to go by foot now,'

Martine half-walked, half-ran just to keep him within view. She was starting to shiver from the now foggy and cold atmosphere of upcoming autumn. Her legs were becoming numb sometimes and she had to shake it to get rid of the numbness. At these times, she had to strain her eyes to see where Jess was.

'Jess,' she called out when the fog grew so thick that she could barely even see his outline anymore, 'Jess!'

She listened, still going straight in a quick pace, hoping that she might catch up to Jess. The only sounds she could hear were the splashes of water by her feet and the occasional chirping of birds. She was running now. She called out his name only to hear it echo throughout the foggy area.

She stopped.

'Jess? You there?'

She looked around. The fog was so thick now that she couldn't see her surroundings any longer. She didn't even know if it was still day time or whether the sun had already set and the first stars were shining in the sky. She just stood there in the white mist.

Screaming out his name one last time, Martine sank to her knees and wept. She was lost.

--

Jess stomped through the river, climbing up the bank once he spotted the bridge he had built for Terabithia. It lay there, split into two just as it had been the day he last spent there. Maybelle had stopped going there, too, by the looks of it.

He knew it.

The river between Terabithia and his hometown was just the same as the one running through Aunt Ester's farm. He was going to turn and make Martine tell the truth, hoping her expression would be that of guilt.

But she wasn't there.

Jess face became pale. Where could she be? 'Martine,' he shouted, rooted to the spot where he was standing, 'Martine!'

There came no reply.

He could see the fog enshrouding the area going to the farm. He ran. He didn't care when he stepped on the jagged, pointy rocks. All he knew was that Martine was Leslie and that he couldn't bear to lose her again.

The fog went around him, blocking everything from view. He screamed Martine's name over and over again; waiting for a reply, a call, anything.

As he ran, he tripped over something, ending up falling out of the foggy area. It was strange. Why would fog only engulf that area? He slowly walked back. And he saw someone he thought he'd never see again.

Leslie stood there, looking like herself the last time Jess saw her. Short hair, the usual sense of clothing. She looked his way and smiled. Her lips moved but there was no sound coming from them. Jess reached out, going towards her. But-

--

'Jess,'

'What?'

Jess snapped his eyes open and sat up, looking around. He found himself in his room once again with Martine drawing back the curtains and letting the morning breeze and sunlight into the room. She seemed oblivious to his paleness.

'I was talking to you, Jess,' she said, knocking his forehead gently, 'did you fall asleep again? You just fell right back into the bed and closed your eyes. Honestly…,'

Martine walked to the door of his room, 'Make sure you're down in a while, okay? Abele was looking for you.'

She closed the door. Jess could hear her footsteps making the floorboards creak as she made her way down the stairs. Jess sat there, dumfounded. What was that dream about? Was it really a dream or is what's happening now a dream?

Shrugging, he changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, slipping on his jacket as he jumps down the stairs two steps at a time. The kitchen was empty, so he just grabbed the piece of toast. Shoving it in his mouth, he stood next to the phone for a while, half-hoping for there to be call from the Burkes, but there wasn't.

'Hey, Jess,'

Jess spun around to find Abele standing in the doorway, drenched from head to toe. He choked on his toast. 'Don't you dare laugh, mister,' Abele said, throwing an acorn, which she took out from her apron pocket, at his head.

'Ouch,' Jess said even though it didn't hurt, 'what happened? Fell into the river while you were riding Daisy?'

'No,' Abele said, rummaging in a supplies closet and getting out a towel, 'Martine pulled me in,' she said, mopping her face, 'said she wanted to play,'

'Oh,'

'I might as well dry off in the field,' she said, towel hanging over one shoulder, 'besides, I have to pick the beans today,'

'I'm coming, hold on a sec,' Jess stuffed another piece of toast in his mouth before following Abele out the door.

He shaded his eyes, the sunlight blinding him. Abele tugged at his sleeve and led him off to the field behind the barn where the last batches of bean plants were being harvested. Jess walked up to one of the plots and started picking the bean pods off their stalks, gathering them in his hand until he could no longer do so.

He'd drop the handful into a big wicker basket behind him before returning to picking. They'd have to shell the beans later. Moving aside to let one of the other girls pass, carrying a full basket, he got back to the plot and started picking. Abele was working nearby, so he could have a conversation with her.

'Abele,' Jess said, the auburn-haired girl looking at him, hands still plucking bean pods, 'I had the strangest dream, it almost seemed real,'

'Really?' Abele leaned over the wicker basket and dropped the beans in, 'How real?'

'As if it was really happening, not dream-like at all,' Jess pulled the basket closer and dropped the beans in it, wiping the sweat of his face with his sleeve afterwards, 'and I saw Leslie in it,'

'Isn't it a sign?'

Jess and Abele stopped, looked at each other, and with a smirk from each, broke out into fits of laughter. They were laughing so hard their stomachs hurt. Abele had already dropped the pods in her hand, clutching her aching sides.

'T-that's,' Jess wiped a tear from his eye, 'crazy. Making everything that happens related to Leslie,'

'Y-yeah,' Abele barely suppressed her giggles, bending down to pick up the fallen bean pods.

But, speak of the devil, irony struck. Coming up the field very quickly was Aunt Ester and Jess' father, their expressions panicked. Jess watched them come close and stop in front of him, catching their breaths.

'Jess,' Aunt Ester said, her voice shaky, 'where's Martine?'

'I-I don't know,'

Her eyes widened, face becoming pale. She burst into tears then and there, dropping to her knees and wailing incoherent things. Jess and Abele looked at Jess' father, who, pulled something from behind his back.

'No,'

'That's not-'

Mr. Aarons nodded.

There in his hands lay the blood-stained copy of a book. The book Martine had bought with Jess that day they went off into town. And scrawled onto the cover with mud were the words…

_Betrayer._

_--_

**Isa: Not so good a chapter, I guess…**


	9. Terabithia

**Chapter nine – Terabithia**

**--**

Jess and Abele ran through the riverbank, their clothes mud-stained and drenched as the heavy rain poured down. The sky seemed to know it was dreadful day, for as the news was spread, the sky darkened and clouds blocked the sun's light from view. The police were searching the farm and river just a little behind them.

Abele was looking over her shoulder every few seconds, wishing the other girls didn't follow her. They wanted to help, but it was much too dangerous for them. Jess also thought of the state he had left Aunt Ester and his father in. Aunt Ester was sobbing profusely, face buried in her hands, sitting by the kitchen table.

His father, meanwhile, was helping the police search the farm grounds and the river area in front of the farm. In the middle of all this confusion, Jess managed to pull Abele away from the field where she stood with the other girls.

The two ran, splashing puddles, through the trees. 'Jess,' Abele screamed, the whistling of the wind muffling her voice a bit, 'where are we going?'

'To where the queen must have gone,' Jess ran the fastest he had ever run, Abele keeping close behind him. She was surprisingly fast even though wearing a dress. Jess heard shout something, but he couldn't make it out over the thunder that had just resounded through the sky.

They were getting close, he could tell, the remains of the bridge outlined from afar by the rain beating down on it. He sped up, Abele following behind him. He jumped into the raging river, making sure to grab onto a broken part of the bridge the moment his feet touched the water whose current tried to pull him away. He helped Abele in, their hands clasped together tightly as Jess forced his way across the river.

The river had gotten higher again, reaching up to their shoulders. The current's waves splashed harshly against them, and the two found themselves under water most of the time. They fought across the river for what seemed like hours, their eyes stinging.

Flinging themselves onto the bank of Terabithia, the two sat there, catching their breaths. It would have been much easier if the side of the bank where Terabithia lay could be travelled on, but it couldn't. Vines and bushes grew thickly, some with thorns, so no matter how careful the two would be, it would be dangerous to use that side. The other side, however, had barely any vines and bushes.

They'd rather fight a raging river than end up in Terabithia all cut up.

Jess stood up and saw that the once mystical forest of the kingdom was now nothing but a normal, abandoned one. Its magical aura had disappeared. Abele walked on the sodden ground, the dried up grass clinging to her drenched shoes. She let out a sigh, for what, Jess didn't know.

'So, your highness,' she said, looking at him seriously yet still playfully, 'where dost thou royal domain lie?'

'Jus follow me,' he said, getting into character, despite his panicked state, 'it just over that hill, m'lady,'

Abele giggled. It helped them both get over their worry a bit so they could think straight.

Pulling her hand, the two ran through the thick woods, getting stuck at some now dead ends. The vines twisted around most of the areas, blocking off the path that Leslie and Jess used to get to the castle. Now, the two had to find another way to the castle, making their journey longer.

--

Steady streams of rain flowed in through the holes in the rooftop, drenching the girl crouched there. She was huddled in a corner, knees hugged to her chest with her face buried in them. She was crying, mumbling incoherent things.

'I'm…sorry….' She said before letting out a sob, 'I let….you down….all of you….I broke my promise….,'

She looked up, watching the rain pour in from the hole in the roof. It would only be a matter of time now. Boards were nailed tightly over all the entrances to the room. She made sure that there was not a crack in between the boards the last time she had been there. The water was filling the room up slowly.

She let go of her knees and lay there, back against the wall. Her once gleaming hair that was akin to gold now lay sprawled dully on her shoulders and some even on the floor. Her eyes were cloudy, wet with tears.

'I betrayed everyone,'

She shut her eyes. Silence enveloped around the place. The only sound that could be heard was the continuous streaming of the rain into the room from the skies above.

--

'Martine,'

Jess screamed, hearing his voice echo throughout the forest. Abele pulled him to where she was standing and pointed at something. It was the tree house.

But it was different now. All the doors and windows were boarded up; unlike the times he had been there with Leslie when they were wide open. With Abele following close behind him, Jess scrambled up the tree, slipping. It took a lot of his effort to get onto the ledge that was now falling apart.

Abele quickly grabbed a branch just as she felt her feet slipping off the edge. 'Ack,' she screeched, pulling herself up. Jess was about to tell her something, his mouth open, when they heard something stir from the inside of the boarded up tree house.

'W-who's there?'

Jess immediately recognized the voice even though it was shaky and drowned out by the rain. He put his ear up against the boards, Abele following suit.

'Martine, it's me, Jess,'

He heard Martine make a sound from inside. Later there was a scratching sound coming from the boards.

'I'm here, too,'

At Abele's voice, the scratching stopped. Instead, there was a loud creak and, stepping back from the boards, a huge square hole appeared in front of the place Abele had pressed her ear against earlier. A steady stream of water flowed out the moment the door was opened.

Jess ran to the doorway and hugged Martine. 'What were you thinking?' he asked her, not noticing that Martine was looking at Abele, 'you had us all worried and…you could have been hurt…lost again,'

'Again?'

Martine pushed Jess away and looked him straight in the eye, 'You think I'm Leslie?' She looked at him, stared at most. It took a while for the words to register, but Jess managed to nod in the end.

'Of course you are,'

Martine was silent, her face expressionless. Then she laughed ruefully. She shook her head and told Jess, 'I guess you never noticed, huh?'

Jess was dumbstruck. What did she mean? It was clear that she was Leslie. There was no escaping the truth. But Martine just looked at him sadly, as if disappointed that he never even noticed.

'It's me, Abele,'

--

**Isa: I love you all, reviewers!! You rock!!!**


	10. Revelation

**Chapter ten – Revelation**

**--**

'No, that can't be true,'

Jess collapsed onto the wooden-plank floor of the tree house. Martine didn't look as if she was lying, her eyes looking at him truthfully. 'It is,' Martine said dimly, 'I can't force you to believe, but if you listen to my story of what happened,' She looked at him for a while, then turned to Abele.

She was backed up against the railing, hands on her head. Her eyes were blank, staring at nothingness. Jess jumped up and shook her. Something was definitely wrong. 'Abele,' he screamed, 'Abele, wake up!' She winced and, groaning, passed out on the floor.

'Abele,' Jess screamed, 'what's wrong?!'

'Don't worry, Jess,' Martine said. Jess stared at her, surprised. Did she not care what happened to Abele? And why was she claiming she was Abele? 'That's natural for people with amnesia,' she said, not a single bit panicked, 'it means they've seen or heard something that brought a memory back. It hurts since the memory just suddenly penetrates your mind with no warning.'

'Martine-'

'I told you, I'm not Martine. There is no Martine,' She walked over to where the auburn-haired girl lay in Jess' arms and kneeled down, 'I'm Abele. And this is Leslie.' In a blur of brown, the auburn hair was stripped off to reveal shoulder-length blonde hair beneath it. The auburn hair Jess had known the girl to have has always been just a wig.

'N-no,' Jess choked, shocked at the sudden turn of events, 'If this is Leslie, then who are you? You can't be Abele. She had auburn hair, auburn. This is insane,' Jess pulled Leslie up and sat her up on the bench before turning back to the girl. 'Who are you, really?'

'I'm Abele, and my hair was never auburn, it was just always dirty by the time you got up and I had already worked in the fields. I've always been blonde; it's just that dust sticks to it a lot since I shower before and after work. It's strange your never noticed my hair at night when the dirt was gone,'

'But-'

'And I told you that listening to my part of the story might clear things up,' Abele said, smiling. Jess stared at her disbelievingly for a few moments before sitting down on the bench next to the unconscious Leslie. 'Fine, tell your story,'

Abele smiled.

--

_'Abele,'__ Aunt __Ester called, her voice echoing throughout the house, 'Abele!'_

_'On my way, on my way,' _

_Into the house came a girl __at the age of six __with blond hair, stained with dirt, making it look a light shade of brown. She hurried up the stairs and paused in front of a door. Gulping, she knocked on it. 'Come in,' the voice was stern, sounding a bit angry. Abele went in, eyes looking at her feet, closing the door behind her._

_'Take a seat,'_

_Aunt Ester sat stiffly in her seat, hands clasped tightly on top of her desk. Abele couldn't see the expression on her face for the curtains were closed. Only hints of light poured out from under the curtain, helping Abele find her way in the dark to the chair. _

_'I've heard news about you again, Abele,'_

_Abele squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. 'Katherine, the daughter of the town's mayor, who visited yesterday, complained to me about you. According to her father, she arrived at the house covered in food scraps. And you know what her explanation was?' _

_The girl could feel her mistresses' eyes staring straight into hers. Gingerly, she shook her head, forcing herself not to cry. 'She said,' Aunt Ester said sternly, 'that you pushed her into the pig's food through for no reason at all,' She stayed silent for a moment, waiting for Abele to make a sound, but none came, 'Is this true, Abele?'_

_Abele stayed silent, eyes on the floor. She dared not look at her mistress in the eyes. Biting her lip, she blinked back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Yes, it was true that she pushed the mayor's daughter into the pig through. But it was because the __little __witch was __kicking the animals around. She dug up the newly planted seeds in the field, too. _

_'Well, girl? No response?'_

_'I-it's true,' Abele muttered, 'but-' She flinched as Aunt Ester banged her hands on the table and stood up, flicking on the lamp. She had a look of positive anger as she glared at Abele in front of her__ who now had tears streaming down her cheeks at this point. She wanted to protest, to prove she __didn't do it without a reason__, but her voice couldn't come out. When she opened her mouth, only sobs came._

_'I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my household!'_

_Abele bit her lip, not knowing what was going to come. 'Do you know,' came the angry voice of her mistress, 'how much trouble you caused me? I was almost sued, you stupid little girl, for what you have done. I've given you everything, girl! Everything! I took you out of that orphanage, fed you, __and gave__ you a home here on __my__ farm! This is how you pay me back?'_

_--_

'What happened?'

'She had me drowned,'

Jess stared at her in disbelief. His aunt was a disciplinarian, yes, but she had a heart. She wasn't some kind of deranged person who could just go off and drown a little girl. Abele looked at him, the remains of a smile still on her face.

'But she did. At that very river,' She pointed out to the little parting in the trees at the raging river. Jess could barely make it out through the rain which was still pouring down heavily on them. 'She had the older girls tie my hands and feet up so I couldn't move them. Then they took me to the river. I was dragged to the deeper part, then, I was just dunked underwater. I was losing air, so I squirmed a lot, trying to free my hands, trying to get out of their grasp. They pulled me up for a while, I only got a little bit of air, then dunked me back under.'

'That c-can't be,' Jess stuttered, 'I-I mean, it was just a year after I visited. Aunt Ester wasn't that harsh. She couldn't have changed completely in just a year,'

Abele shrugged, 'But she did. She was watching as the girls did that to me, the intervals getting longer before they pulled me up,'

Jess thought for a moment, remembering how he had seen Martine huddled on the boulder in the middle of the river, afraid to go down. 'Is that why you were scared of the water? It wasn't an act?' Abele nodded, 'I grew up that way, and punishments were always like that,'

'Right,'

'And this takes us to where I met Leslie,'

--

_There was a lot of noise coming from down by the riverbank. Girls were crowding around the water's edge, watching as some of the older girls ran into the water and started to slowly pull something out. __Fourteen year old __Abele ran to the crowd, __pushing away some of the girls to get a better view of what was happening. _

_A girl was pulled out of the water, she was thrashing continuously.__ Her clothes were muddy, face stained, and hair messed up. The girls backed away as she was lay on the ground, her eyes wide and staring. __Abele pushed forward, stopping right in front of the girl. _

_'Should we take her to the mistress?' said one of the girls behind Abele. 'Yes, I suppose so,' said another. One by one, the girls moved in closer to the stranger __lying__ on the ground, and one by one, they helped each other take her up to the house where the mistress stood waiting in the front door._

_'Bring her in,' the mistress said, as the girls stalked up the path._

_--_

_Abele sat in the hayloft, looking out the window. She had finished all her__ chores and was now taking a break. Eyes looking out the window, she sat there, pen in hand, a page of her diary opened, ready to be written on. But Abele's mind was not there. It was wandering off into another dimension. Thinking…_

_'I hope this works…,'_

_Then, all suddenly, her eyes snapped shut and she fell backwards, diary and pen thrown off her, and down to the floor meters away from the hayloft. The girls sitting down there panicked, some screamed, others ran off to get the mistress, and a few of the older ones jumped up hurriedly, one of them catching Abele before she hit the ground._

_--_

_It was dusk._

_Outside the door of the room, Abele could her mistress speaking with the doctor. 'She seems to be fine, really,' he said, 'I can't find any reason of why she would have fainted like that,' 'Yes, I know,' Mistress Ester said, 'And she was just there writing in her diary. Oh…I don't know what to do. I mean, it's just dreadful that this has happened,'_

_Sitting up, Abele found herself in one of the guest rooms in the house. She pushed back the covers and pressed her ear to the door. Listening carefully, she waited until she was sure that the mistress and doctor had gone their way down the creaking staircase._

_Turning the lock on the door, she made her way back to the bed. Keeling down, she pulled a pillowcase from underneath it__. In the case were a diary and an auburn-colored wig. She pulled these things out and stuffed the pillowcase back under the bed. Yes, everything was going as she had planned earlier. _

_Over the past few days since the girl from the river arrived, Abele had planned to do something. She was to make the girl, who had amnesia as the doctor said, be her. The mistress had been poring around the girl a lot since she first arrived, treating her as she would treat her own daughter. _

_Abele knew this was wrong, but it was the only choice she could take. She was sick of the punishments, sick of being treated like a dog by the mistress. And she was going to put a stop to it at this moment._

_She walked over to the moonlit window and pushed it open. Climbing out, she made her way carefully over the roof's tiles and over to the window next door. The room where the girl from the river stayed. Pulling the window open with ease, she jumped in and closed the curtains, making sure that there was barely any light in the room._

_Then, she woke the girl…_

_--_

'It all went as planned,'

Jess stared at Abele for a while, mouth hanging open. Leslie shuffled a bit, but her eyes did not open. 'So Leslie, all this while, had thought she was you?' Abele nodded.

'I wrote a whole diary of memories for her, making her take up my life from the point I wanted her to start from, when she was pulled out from the river. But instead of telling her she was the one pulled out, I made it seem as if it was me. She couldn't see my face because of the curtain's shadow, so it all went well. She took my place and I took hers. '

'So you left that note? On the book?'

'Yeah, ' Abele looked out into the woods with the rain still streaming on heavily down, 'and you know why I wrote it? It's because I betrayed you, I betrayed everyone. I've never been known to lie, everyone knew they could trust me when it came to telling the truth. But this time, I lied completely.'

All was silent.

'And now, I have to turn myself in,'

--

**Isa: Cliffie! Sorry it took so long everyone! My sincerest apologies!!! I was really busy with school, so I never had the time to write!! I hope you all forgive me!!**


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